About this objectPictured in this 19th century albumen print is the famous Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. It is a more detailed view of the South Portal of Transept from the 12th century. This was originally the site of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which was replaced by the current Notre Dame Cathedral with construction beginning in the 12th century. During the late 13th and early 14th centuries, further work was done by Jean de Chelles, Pierre Montreuil, Pierre de Chelles, and Jean Ravy. Under Robert de Cotte, further restoration and replacement work was completed in the 17th and 18th centuries. During the 19th century, the architects Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Jean-Baptiste Lassus are tasked with a restoration project, although Lassus passed away in 1857. Specifically depicted is one of the many gargoyles that decorate the Cathedral. The function of the the gargoyles was to illustrate evil the the illiterate churchgoers of the time through the grotesque features of the stone creatures.